Tesco to Fuel Its HGV Fleet with Bio LNG, UK

The distribution division of the world’s third largest grocery retailer, Tesco, has committed a fleet of HGVs to fill up at facilities run by leading Bio-LNG supplier Gasrec.

Thirty-five dual-fuel vehicles will run on Bio-LNG from Gasrec’s refuelling station at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: a ground-breaking installation that will officially open to all dual-fuel LGVs next month (May), much like a traditional petrol station.

Bio-LNG is Gasrec’s proprietary, future-proof blend of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid biomethane (LBM) – a natural, green source of renewable energy produced from organic matter such as household food waste and sewage.

The deal with Gasrec will cut Tesco’s CO2 emissions by a minimum of 15 percent, with a 90 percent reduction in NOx and particulate matter emissions, helping Tesco to achieve its target of reducing emissions per case of goods delivered by 25 percent by 2020 (from 2011 baseline). Tesco has already halved the emissions per case delivered in the UK between 2006-2011.

Tesco already has a distribution centre in Daventry, so deploying 35 Mercedes dual-fuel HGVs from Gasrec’s base there makes perfect sense.

The agreement with Tesco follows the supermarket securing funding from the government-backed Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform (LCVIP) which provides match-funded grants to businesses best able to nurture low-carbon vehicle technologies.

It aims to slash vehicle carbon emissions and help the UK freight sector benefit from growing demand for low carbon vehicles. To date, around £60 million has been committed to more than 75 innovative projects.

Tesco is the UK’s biggest retailer, employing more than 300,000 people and operating over 3,000 stores. It has a worldwide presence in 14 countries.

Tesco Distribution’s group environmental manager, Joe Carthy, said: “A gas refuelling station on our doorstep is ideal for us. We are committed to converting vehicles to dual fuel and reducing carbon emissions. Gasrec’s infrastructure and Bio-LNG fuel will allow us to do this across our network in years to come.”

Gasrec’s commercial development manager, Doug Leaf, said: “To have an international company like Tesco show such confidence in our service and product is fantastic and a great sign for the future.

“The public and private sectors are really seeing the ability of Bio-LNG to cut costs and pollution, and our green credentials have been recognised by the government through its LCVIP funding.

“We’re very confident at Gasrec that more and more people will come to us, giving us the opportunity to expand our infrastructure even further and deliver savings and environmental benefits to a wider market.”

Daventry is the first of seven stations which Gasrec is building to complete the UK’s first strategic refuelling infrastructure for gas-powered vehicles at multiple locations across the UK road network.

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LNG World News Staff, April  29, 2013; Image: Gasrec